THE FLAMINGO 95 



the bill points towards the ground, and when the 

 long neck is directed downwards (as must be done 

 when the bird feeds because of the length of the legs) 

 the terminal half of the bill is parallel to the ground, 

 and the tip points between the bird's toes. Thus the 

 flamingo when feeding assumes the position it would 

 adopt when about to stand on its head ! The upper 

 mandible then is placed along the ground, and, for 

 the convenience of the bird, is flattened, while the 

 lower mandible, which is uppermost when the bird 

 is feeding, is arched like the upper mandible in most 

 birds. This arrangement gives the flamingo a 

 grotesque appearance. 



The food of this species consists of small crustaceans, 

 insects and molmsca, together with vegetable matter. 

 The quarry is scooped out of the mud at the bottom 

 of the lake. The mandibles are lamellated like those 

 of ducks, hence they, assisted by the tongue, act as 

 sieves and reject most of the mud while retaining 

 the nutritive material. The words " most of the 

 mud " are used advisedly, for it is not possible to 

 sift all out, so that those who have examined the 

 contents of the stomach of the flamingo have usually 

 found it to contain a quantity of sand and mud. 



The nest of the flamingo is a mound of earth raised 

 by the bird from shallow water. The only place in 

 India where flamingos are known to breed is the Run 

 of Cutch. In seasons when there has been sufficient rain- 

 fall this curious spot abounds with nests of flamingos. 



The older writers believed that, on account of 

 the length of its legs, the flamingo could not incubate 



